By Brian Kelly
Herald Writer
LANGLEY — Somewhere the Lorax is smiling.
Surely the fictional Dr. Seuss character’s frown would turn upside down had he heard about the purchase and preservation of Saratoga Woods, 118 acres of forestland just north of Langley on Whidbey Island.
The Whidbey-Camano Land Trust has finalized the $741,000 purchase, and a benefit concert for a new organization that will act as stewards of the land is now being planned.
The ink on the deal dried Friday.
"It’s fantastic. It’s a dream come true," said Diane Kendy of Save the Woods on Saratoga, the group that raised the money for the land purchase.
Aside from $52,000 in county money that was earmarked for wetland mitigation on the property, all of the money for the purchase came from private contributions ranging from $10 to $100,000, Kendy said.
The property has been given to Island County, but is protected from development by a conservation easement.
"It’s just a marvelous, marvelous second-growth forest that looks like an old growth (forest). It’s absolutely breathtaking," Kendy said, adding that the property also boasts bluff views, meadows, wetlands and an eagles’ nest. The land abuts other public trust lands as well, creating a 750-acre area that may be the biggest wildlife corridor on south Whidbey Island.
The property will be used for passive recreation uses, such as hiking and other low-impact activities. Now called the Saratoga Woods Preserve, parts of the property will be restored with native plants.
An information kiosk may eventually be placed on the land, and volunteers are already lining up to help remove noxious weeds and start other enhancement projects.
A benefit concert to support the Friends of Saratoga Woods, the group that will act as stewards of the land, is planned for Nov. 8.
Rebecca Riots, a Berkeley-based folk music group, will perform at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts in Langley. Ticket information is available at 800-638-7631.
You can call Herald Writer Brian Kelly at 425-339-3422 or send e-mail to kelly@heraldnet.com.
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